No injuries reported

CARLSBAD — A two-story, single-family townhouse in the Cielo Vista apartment complex was completely scorched by a fire on Thanksgiving night, leaving a family displaced and their neighbors without power.

The residents were not at home at the apartment, at 601 W. Orchard, during the fire and no injuries were reported, fire department officials said.

Carlsbad Fire Department Battalion Chief Robert Sanchez said the fire was reported to emergency dispatchers at about 6:41 p.m. on Thursday.

Cielo Vista property manager Larry Mitchell, who lives at the complex, said he was celebrating Thanksgiving with his two grown sons when one of them heard a smoke alarm going off. Mitchell and one of his sons went outside to investigate and discovered the fire.

"At that point, the fire was still in the kitchen," Mitchell said.

Mitchell and one of his sons were able to knock down the apartment door and determined no one was in the apartment as a neighbor called 911.

Fire Marshal John Miller, who is investigating, said the fire was raging when firefighters arrived.

"Fire was coming out of the front door when they got there," Miller said.

Miller said everything inside the unit was destroyed. A car in the building's garage was also destroyed.

He said he thought a man, woman and two children lived in the unit and that Red Cross was assisting them.

The power has been turned off in the other units in the building as a safety measure, Miller said. If wires were burnt by the fire, there is a chance another fire could be ignited.

"An electrician has to get in there and look at it," Miller said.

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(Photo: Maddy Hayden - Current-Argus)

Mitchell said the other residents in the building are also currently displaced since there is no power.

He said he thought the damage to the building would be able to be repaired.